Does this mean the Pope should not have included Williamson in the remission of excommunication? Not necessarily. The intent behind the lifting of the excommunication is still valid – to open a dialogue between SSPX and the church, and hopefully resolve the issues that threaten schism, bringing the sect back into the folds of the church.
It’s an admirable goal, and in line with the Holy See’s goals and priorities it has set out for itself. However, it would have behooved the church to know ahead of time what it might be opening itself up to, and have an action plan in place to deal with the controversy that may, and did, erupt.
Foreknowledge of Williamson’s words would have allowed the Vatican to immediately issue the news that remission of excommunication did not give him the right to lead a congregation, or instill in him the authority of the church. It would have allowed for the immediate understanding that the reductionist views of the Holocaust Williamson expressed were rejected by the Pope, and contrary to the Church’s stance, and that to be a functioning Bishop in the church, Williamson would need to unequivocally and publicly retract his previous statements, a retraction which has not yet occurred to the satisfaction of the Pope.
The Williamson case may have been an unforeseen mishap as far as the Vatican is concerned, but it did not have to be. With a bit more foresight into what they were doing and how the outside world would react, the Holy See may have been able to avoid some of the controversy, control it, and actually let their true message be heard.
It can only be hoped that they do, in fact, learn from this experience as they claim they have.
